I think I killed my queen

[kevinmbong]

I'm a newbie - I installed my first two packages five weeks ago here in southeastern Wisconsin.  Both hives were going pretty strong through last weekend - both had about 6 frames of brood and a couple more frames they were drawing out and filling with syrup/honey.
Today my first hive was continuing to do well, they had even moved up to the second brood box and started drawing comb there.

I opened my second hive.  First thing I noticed was there was less capped brood than last weekend, and what had been brood frames seemed heavier because they seemed to be filling all the vacated cells with syrup, honey, and pollen.  A couple more frames in and I find a frame with about six capped queen cells  near the middle of the frame.  Two frames later are four more capped queen cells, and a couple incomplete queen cells that I can see the larva in.  I start looking harder for eggs or young larva, but all I see are either capped brood or cells filled with syrup and honey.  I think its pretty likely my queen has died.  I think the most likely case is that I crushed the queen as I was checking the hive last weekend...I can be careful as heck, I still don't know how I'm supposed squeeze all those frames back together into the box without squishing a few of my black and yellow friends.

I'm going to let the bees continue to raise their own queen.   I'm a little sad because this seems like a setback after things started out so well...but its also kind of interesting to get to see this happen in my hive the first year.   And I'm resisting the temptation to move half the bees, half the remaining capped brood, and half the emergency queen cells to a new empty brood box.  I'm more interested raising bees than getting honey, but I'm guessing the bees are too stressed right now for me to take this opportunity to make a split.

I've enjoyed and been helped a lot by other folks' stories in the forum, so I thought I'd share.
Thank you to everyone who contributes here.
Kevin

[Kathyp]

at least you noticed!  i lost a hive because i didn't realize i'd lost mine over the winter.  not to worry.  as long as they make a new one, you'll get back on track quickly.

[Kev]

Kevin,

cheer up. A buddy of mine has lost all his bees 3 years in a row. Remember the Chinese proverb (with apologies to any Chinese member if I render it wrong): if life seems awful, wear tight shoes.

kev

[DayValleyDahlias]

One thins I have noticed about my quest to keep bees, is that the bees pretty much keep me...in suspense that it...I got so worked up checking the hive last time, I just didn't know what to do...kathypsuggested tequila...someone else just told me to relax...and I think I have read somewhere someone saying" let the bees be bees"...

Hope your hive does great with a new Queen...remember...tequila, relax, breathe and let the bees be bees, not necesarily in that order ;)